Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) has selected a familiar figure as the district’s new superintendent.
The Des Moines School Board voted unanimously at its meeting Tuesday to appoint Interim Superintendent Matt Smith to the position permanently. The decision comes nearly a year after Smith took over following the abrupt arrest and resignation of former Superintendent Ian Roberts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
When asked about the recruitment process during the meeting, the Des Moines School Board said it did not consider other candidates.
“Understanding what the district needs, right now, as we transition into implementation of Reimagining Education, we knew that Matt was the right leader for the students and our community,” said school board Chair Kim Martorano.
DMPS leaders said Smith has expanded engagement and resources for multilingual families, including by expanding the bilingual family liaison team and expanding the family communications platform to include over 100 languages.
Smith said the district can expect him to be the same leader he was in his previous position.
“I will certainly implement my style, which is to be very collaborative and to bring folks around the table, to learn from their experiences and to make sure we have a multitude and diversity of voices there,” he said.
Smith is also recognized as a central leader in the district’s Reimagining Education initiative. The long-term project aims to redesign district programming. It’s meant to create more diverse opportunities for students with career and interest-based programming in facilities called maker spaces and signature schools.
Smith said both that project and the district’s strategic plan are his top priorities as superintendent.
“That emphasizes significant work and investments in literacy and improving literacy outcomes for kids, making sure that we’ve got every student reading on or above grade level, and also creating pathway for students, which is much of the Reimagining Education plan,” Smith explained.
He said, ultimately, his goal is to raise graduation rates and make sure the students who leave the district are ready to employ in a career of their choice.
Smith has been with DMPS since 2010. He has previously served as a principal, director of learning services, chief schools officer and associate superintendent.
This past year was Smith’s second time stepping up as interim superintendent. He first held the position during the 2022-2023 school year, and DMPS leaders credit him with helping the school navigate a major cybersecurity attack, which forced the district to take all technology offline and cancel classes.
He returned to the role just shy of a year ago, after Roberts resigned in September 2025. In May, Roberts was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to federal immigration and weapons charges.
Smith said these were challenging times that he and other district staff had to navigate.
“Everybody stepped up and did things that were above and beyond,” Smith said. “It was really really, both humbling and exciting to watch them grow in their own leadership while they’re also helping me to grow in mine.”
Even though his title has changed, Smith said the work he’s doing has not. He plans to continue visiting students and school leaders and moving forward with district organization and redesign.
